Hull Fostering Privacy Notice

This notice explains what personal information we hold about you, how we collect it, how we use it and how we may share this information. We are required to give you this information under data protection law.

We can be contacted via;

Telephone - 01482 300 300
email - Fostering@hullcc.gov.uk
or by talking to your fostering social worker

We collect, use and are responsible for person information about you; this includes special category data including details about health, ethnic origin, religion and sexual orientation.

The Fostering Service approves, supports and pays foster carers, and provides them with ongoing support, guidance and training to ensure they are effective foster cares. The service also works with foster carers and a range of fostering agencies to ensure that children are placed with the most appropriate family.

In the case of approving and supervising foster carers we collect the following personal information

personal information (such as name, address, contact details, date of birth, gender, language)
special category characteristics (such as ethnicity, disability, religion and medical information)
family network and relationship information
education, employment and financial information
information relating to assessments and approvals for suitability to foster children

We collect and use your personal information to comply with our legal obligations under the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.

If we need to collect special category (sensitive) personal information, we rely upon reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity or treatment), for the provision of social care, for social security or social protection law, and for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims whenever Courts are acting in their judicial capacity.

We may share your personal information with;

Hull City Council services including Finance and children's services
Ofsted (in the event of a local authority inspection of children's services)
other local authorities
other fostering agencies - Regulation 26(1A) gives the fostering service undertaking the current assessment the power to request access to records about the applicant held by the fostering service or adoption agency which granted the approval (provided that the applicant consents)

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities where permitted by law.

In line with our statutory obligations we will keep any work we do with you for between five and 100 years depending on the type involvement we have with you or your family.

Foster parents approved by HCC - including any person with whom a child is placed (under regulation 34 or 38 of the Fostering Services Regulations 2002) and records of foster carer applicants who are not approved. We keep this information from the date of last contact with foster carers +75 years.

Records of foster carer applicants who withdraw following initial enquiry. We keep this information for 12 months

Finance and procurement, financial services, payments - all records relating to the payment of foster carers or our providers. We keep this information for 6 years

If you would like to enquire about how your personal information is processed by us or wish to complain please contact;

Hull City Council
Data Protection Officer
Room 11
The Guildhall
Hull
HU1 2AA

You also have the right to complain to the regulator -

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone - 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number